Growing Turban Squash
Turban squash, also known as Turk's Cap, is a winter squash that is so alluring it steals focus from pumpkins any day. We pilfered one from the Heirloom Expo last year, saved the seeds, and grew them out this spring. Not knowing how the squash was grown (whether it was grown the proper distance from other squash varieties of the same species to prevent cross pollination or not), we took our chances to see what we would get. So far,…
Ask Gardenerd: Using Rainwater
A great question came into Ask Gardenerd this week: "Is it safe to use rain barrel water on the organic vegetable garden? My first concern is that the plastic the rain barrels are made of. My second is that we have several of the barrels catching water from the composite roof. What are your thoughts on this? Thank you, Tia" Yes, you can use rainwater to irrigate your vegetable garden. We've been watering with rainwater exclusively since December. Veggie gardens…
Freezing Blackberries
Blackberry season is short, extend it by preserving your blackberries.
Design: Balcony Garden Joy
Small space gardening is our specialty here at Gardenerd. We like making the most of tiny gardens, and our latest project was no exception. Using pre-fab products, we turned a plain old balcony into a farm-for-one in Hermosa Beach, CA. You can do this too. Here's how: The Balcony The client's balcony was tiny, to say the least. 2 outdoor seats and some pots with succulents took up much of the space. The client was so excited about growing some…
Growing Jerusalem Artichokes
Back in December, we planted a handful of Jerusalem artichokes (a.k.a. sunchokes) that had sprouted in the refrigerator. Having never grown them before, it was an experiment (as is much of what we do here at Gardenerd). We knew them to be invasive, so we opted to plant the tubers in a dilapidated container to keep them as contained as possible but still connected to the soil. The bottom was missing on the container, so there was still a chance…
Recipe: Caramel Blackberry Goat Milk Ice Cream
Here's one for anyone who can't do cow. We recently discovered a raw goat milk vendor at our local farmers' market and decided that it was time to experiment with goat milk ice cream. Since blackberries are in season, it seemed like the perfect combination. Most recipes include a list of ingredients with eggs and cow's cream for a custard-style base. Since the whole point is to avoid cow's milk, we sought out a recipe using only goat milk...and found…
Harvesting Wheat
We grew White Sonora Wheat over winter, and now that it's May in Southern California, it is time to harvest. Our 4x4 foot raised bed was filled with tall, slender wheat sheaths that turned progressively more golden brown. The seed heads began to nod, and that's when we knew it was time. Here's how to harvest your own patch of heirloom wheat: Admittedly, 4x4 isn't very much room for growing wheat. Ideally we'd have 100 square feet for the task.…